Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his car with a gunshot wound to the head on the same day he was scheduled to testify against the plane maker.
The mysterious incident comes after a series of incidents, including a door plug flying off a 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines at an altitude of 16,000 feet on January 5, and a wheel falling off a 777 several weeks later. This happened amidst a sharp decline in stock prices. later.
As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted an investigation and found “unacceptable” quality control issues.
Barnett’s death has raised many eyebrows, but it is not the first incident involving a company employee.
Here’s a look back at some of Boeing’s biggest scandals.
2008: Disgruntled worker admits cutting Chinook wire due to “work stress”
A disgruntled worker at a Boeing Co. factory, angry about being transferred, cut about 70 electrical wires on the $24 million Chinook military helicopter, the company testified in court.
Matthew Montgomery, 33, pleaded guilty in 2008 to one count of destroying property under a government contract.
According to federal prosecutors, Montgomery was on his last shift on the Chinook assembly line on May 10, 2008, when he severed about 70 electrical wires that ran from the cockpit of the H-47 Chinook to its main body. did.
After complaining to a judge about the stress and boredom of working on an assembly line, he was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement.
“I know that a factory environment is not the right place for me,” Montgomery told the court.
2011: Federal authorities arrest 23 people in drug raid at Boeing factory
Approximately 20 former and former employees were arrested on suspicion of selling OxyContin and fentanyl in a drug bust at a Boeing factory in Pennsylvania that manufactures military aircraft, officials announced.
In a major sting operation, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents uncovered an illegal prescription drug distribution ring at a Ridley Park-based factory, leading to charges against 23 people. Joint statement from government agencies Said.
“The defendants in this case are accused of diverting controlled substances without medical supervision and selling them to suspected abusers,” DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Vito Guarino said in 2011.
Drugs sold on-site at the facility, which manufactures aircraft such as the H-47 Chinook helicopter and V-22 Osprey, included fentanyl and oxycodone, also known as OxyContin.
Boeing has submitted allegations of drug activity to federal law enforcement, and the Justice Department said it has fully cooperated with the lengthy investigation.
FBI agents used Boeing employees to assist in the investigation, and those charged sold drugs to FBI associates and purchased placebo drugs from FBI associates. He has been charged with suspicion, officials said.
Boeing praised U.S. authorities for their “rigorous and thorough investigation.”
All 23 people, including the union president, had pleaded guilty by August 2012. According to a report in the Philadelphia Enquirer.
2014: Boeing employee claims to have used coke and meth on the job
In a damning 2014 video clip, several Boeing employees claim their co-workers were taking hard drugs, including cocaine and meth, while on the job, raising concerns about the safety of the 787 Dreamliner plane. .
Current and retired Boeing employees discussed quality control concerns on news service Al Jazeera’s investigative television segment, “Broken Dreams: Boeing 787.”
Regarding the video secretly filmed by employees inside the factory and leaked to the network, one Boeing employee said it was “people doing drugs, looking for drugs,” specifically marijuana, cocaine, He said he saw him talking about prescription painkillers.
In the video, a man is heard saying at the factory, “It’s all coke and painkillers,” adding: “You can get marijuana here, you can get really good marijuana.” .
Another person, speaking on condition of anonymity, complained that Boeing “doesn’t test anyone for drugs,” adding, “Some people go out at lunch and smoke a cigarette.”
In a statement at the time, Boeing said: “Employee drug testing is conducted in accordance with Boeing, and we thoroughly investigate employee reports of policy deviations and take appropriate corrective action as appropriate.” Ta.
The employee used a hidden camera to film 15 co-workers assembling a 787 Dreamliner inside Boeing’s South Carolina plant and asked them if they could fly on the plane. According to Al Jazeera, 10 people said they would not participate.
“I wouldn’t fly on a plane like this,” one employee tells him.
“The 787 aircraft… meets the highest safety and quality standards verified through a robust testing, verification and inspection process,” Boeing said in a statement.
2022: Boeing accused of murder-suicide colleague in a love triangle
A lawsuit filed in 2022 alleges that Boeing’s failure to take action after learning that two employees were involved in a love triangle with their boss led to one employee killing a colleague. It is said that it became.
A foundation filed a Boeing negligence lawsuit after former Boeing employee Isaiah Washington, 28, was shot and killed in the street by colleague Ralph O’Connor, 44, and then killed himself.
In January, the company sought to have the case thrown out, claiming that the employee was not at work at the time of the murder.
Washington was shot several times, and then O’Connor shot himself, according to the King County Coroner’s Office.
The suit alleges that both men had sexual relationships with Boeing supervisor Rachel Pettit, which led to O’Connor’s threats against Washington.
Boeing was aware of the threats and O’Connor’s history of threatening behavior, according to the complaint.
Lawyers for Boeing said Mr. O’Connor resigned after the company learned that he had sent messages to colleagues, including telling them he wanted to “pull the trigger.”
“The complaint alleges that Boeing knew or should have known that Mr. O’Connor was likely to kill or injure someone other than himself,” the company said in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. It does not contain any claims.”
The civil suit has not yet been resolved.
2024: FAA finds ‘multiple instances’ of quality control problems in audit
The FAA’s six-week audit of Boeing’s 737 MAX manufacturing process revealed numerous incidents, including mechanics at one of its major suppliers using hotel key cards and dish soap as surrogate tools for compliance tests, according to the report. The company’s processes were said to be flawed.
The FAA found “unacceptable” quality control issues in an audit of Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems that began after a 737 MAX 9 door plug flew off at an altitude of 16,000 feet on January 5. discovered.
Auditors found that Boeing failed 33 of 89 product audits (examinations of specific aspects of the production line), for a total of 97 nonconformities.
“We have a clear picture of what needs to be done. Transparency has been throughout all of these discussions,” Boeing said in a statement after the FAA investigation.
Last Tuesday, the company said in a memo to employees that it was adding weekly compliance checks on all 737 work areas and additional audits of equipment to reduce quality issues.
2024: Whistleblower is found dead under mysterious circumstances.
John Barnett, the 62-year-old longtime Boeing employee who went public with his concerns about the safety of the 787 Dreamliner, died on March 9, a day after appearing in a deposition with the company’s lawyers. .
His lawyers were alarmed when he failed to appear for a deposition in Charleston, South Carolina.
A coroner’s report tentatively said he died of “self-inflicted” wounds, but Charleston police are still investigating.
Barnett’s “close family friend,” identified only as Jennifer to ABC News 4 He claimed to have told her not to believe reports of suicide. before his death.
She claimed he claimed he was “not scared” before adding, “But if something happens to me, it won’t be suicide.”
Jennifer told the show that she thought someone “didn’t like what he was saying” and “tried to shut him up.”
These claims have not been verified and there is no suggestion that Boeing was involved in any wrongdoing.
Boeing also released a statement saying, “We are saddened by the passing of Mr. Barnett and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Barnett’s lawyers, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, also have doubts.
They said in a statement: “John was a brave and honest man with the highest integrity.
“He truly cared about his family, his friends, Boeing, his Boeing co-workers, and the pilots and people who flew Boeing aircraft. We have never met a man of such integrity and candor. There are very few.”
The investigation into his death is ongoing, and officials previously told the Post that police were dusting the inside and outside of his car for fingerprints, but this is not a case of suicide. This is a very unusual measure.
